"You're just going to meet and greet. There's no need to be that nervous."
"Y-yes. Grandfather."
Though my grandfather said that, it’s hard not to feel nervous.
The founder of our Brunhild Duchy, the first Duke, Mochizuki Touya-sama. The man who is spoken of as a legend in countless ways—meeting him is something I never imagined would happen.
My name is Kouya Brunhild. My domestic name is Mochizuki Kouya. I recently turned fifteen and just completed my coming-of-age ceremony.
That night, I was called by my father and grandfather and was told the secret passed down through the Brunhild royal family.
It turns out that the first Grand Duke is still alive. He’s watching over this world from an island floating in the sky.
The Brunhild Duchy has been established for over three hundred years now. My father is already the fourteenth Grand Duke.
When I asked if the first Grand Duke was an immortal being, it seems that wasn’t the case. Apparently, he was welcomed by the gods. It’s all quite baffling.
Although the records state he has passed away, it seems that the heirs to the Duchy must meet with him at least once. Apparently, it’s to test their aptitude. After hearing that, there’s no way I can not be nervous.
"If we determined you don’t have that aptitude, we wouldn’t have even mentioned the first Grand Duke’s story. We told you because we judged you’re fine. The first Grand Duke probably knows that as well."
Huh, does that mean he sees through everything? Now, I’m even more anxious...
Despite my growing anxiety, I followed my grandfather out to the castle courtyard. Will the first Duke really come here?
My grandfather took out his smartphone from his pocket and seemed to be typing a message.
The next moment, I noticed a maid standing in front of me. When did she...!?
"It’s been a while, Francesca-dono."
"It has indeed, and this one is...?"
"Yes, this is my grandson, Kouya."
My grandfather bowed to what seemed like an ordinary maid. No, anyone my grandfather bows to can’t be just an ordinary maid. I hastily bowed as well.
"This is Francesca-dono. One of the Ten Apostles who serve the first Duke."
"I’m Francesca. The master is waiting upstairs, so please, allow me to transfer you both."
In a state of confusion, I placed my hand in Francesca’s hand, just like my grandfather.
Then, in an instant, we were transported from the castle courtyard to a garden full of colorful blooming flowers.
Above us was a transparent dome-shaped canopy. Is this the island where the first Grand Duke is said to reside, floating in the sky?
"Please, follow me."
I walked behind Francesca, following her through the garden. Beyond a translucent glass-like wall, a sea of clouds stretched out, confirming that we were indeed high up in the sky.
I’d never heard of an island like this before. Perhaps there’s some kind of concealment function to make it invisible from the outside?
We passed through a gate adorned with blooming roses and emerged into an open space, where we saw a man sitting in a white gazebo on a slightly raised platform.
"Ah, welcome to the 'Garden' of Babylon. I’m Mochizuki Touya, the first Grand Duke, and your ancestor."
This is the first Grand Duke? He looks only a little older than me and seems like an ordinary young man with no particular distinguishing features... Compared to the portrait in the castle, he seems a lot different. The painting made him look much more... regal.
"Why does everyone look so surprised when they first meet me, even you also react like this?"
The first Grand Duke said this, smiling wryly at my subtle expression. My grandfather, also smiling awkwardly, opened his mouth.
"I’m sorry. It’s probably because of the portrait in the castle."
"Ah, I knew it. I told you, it’s better not to exaggerate... A normal look would have been fine for a portrait."
"But it’s something that stays forever, right? I want to leave a proper one. Since only the royal family will know, it shouldn’t be a problem."
Before I knew it, a beautiful woman was standing next to the first Grand Duke. Her long golden hair swayed in the wind. Her eyes, when she turned toward us, were two different colors—blue in the right and green in the left.
Curious, I whispered to my grandfather.
"Who is that person...?"
"She is the founding matriarch of our Brunhild royal family, Grand Duchess Yumina."
Grand Duchess Yumina...!? The one who supported the first Duke, one of the Nine Wives... and the ancestor of our royal family!?
"Ah, it’s a pleasure to meet you, first Grand Duke, Grand Duchess Yumina. My name is Mochizuki Kouya."
"It’s a pleasure. I’m Mochizuki Yumina. I’m your distant, distant grandmother."
Grandmother... Wait, no, she might be, but it feels so strange. She looks younger than my own mother...
As I looked behind the princess, I noticed eight women sitting around a round table, drinking tea on a terrace-like area. Could those be the remaining Nine Wives?
"The next king has black hair, huh?"
"Yes, his mother was from the Eashen family."
"Hehe, he looks just like the young Touya."
Me? Hmm, I wonder... Will I look like the first Grand Duke in a few years?
"So, what do you think?"
At the first Grand Duke’s words, Grand Duchess Yumina’s eyes turned toward me. Her gaze was now serious, and she stared at me... I felt as if she was seeing through everything, making me feel strangely uncomfortable... She’s been staring at me for a while—what is going on...?
"Hehe, there’s no problem. As expected of my and Touya’s descendant."
Grand Duchess Yumina smiled again, and for some reason, I felt relieved.
"Good. With that, you’ve been recognized as the next Grand Duke. I went through the same thing, so I understand how you feel."
My grandfather went through the same process... Is this some kind of ritual to become the Grand Duke?
"You were much more nervous than he was. It seems like you’ve settled down now."
"Well, after forty years, one can calm down a bit..."
It’s rare to see my grandfather flustered. It seems like even my grandfather can’t stand up to the duchess.
"Now, with the 'Aptitude Ceremony' done, let’s give the future Grand Duke a present."
As the first Grand Duke said that, Francesca walked toward me holding a small white box.
I took the box that was offered to me. It was heavier than I expected. What’s this?
"Go ahead, open it."
Following his words, I opened the box, and inside was a shiny, brand-new black smartphone.
"This...!"
It was unlike any smartphone I had—or any currently available model. A new model? No, wait... this is...!
Without thinking, I looked at my grandfather, who solemnly nodded.
"That’s right. All smartphones made in Brunhild are created on this island where the first Grand Duke resides. Only a limited few in the Duchy know this fact. You must never speak of it, understood?"
I knew it. No one knew where the smartphones sold by Brunhild were made, not even me, the prince.
It’s a top secret of Brunhild. For years, other countries had sent spies to uncover this, but there’s no way they could have found out...
"This smartphone is a gift for your coming-of-age. It has functions unlike anything before, and its performance is significantly better than any existing smartphones."
"Performance improvement...? Did the camera get better?"
"No, no, no, improving the camera doesn’t make much of a difference. This smartphone has attributes assigned to it. Anyone who has it will be able to use magic, even those who don’t have the aptitude for it."
"What!? Even magic outside of your aptitude!?"
For ages, it was a well-known fact that magic couldn’t be used without the proper aptitude. This is an extraordinary function that breaks that rule.
"Six attributes—fire, water, wind, earth, light, and darkness—are assigned, and we’ll be releasing six colors: Crimson Red, Ocean Blue, Mint Green, Coffee Brown, Platinum White, and Night Black. Each one has a specific interaction, so even if you carry two, you won’t have multiple attributes."
According to the first Duke’s explanation, it only assists the aptitude, so owning the phone doesn’t mean you can immediately use magic. Training and study will still be necessary. But for many who had given up on magic, it would undoubtedly be a lifesaver.
So, this Night Black phone is for me?
I have aptitude for every attribute except for darkness. That’s why I had always admired summoning magic related to the dark attribute.
With this smartphone, I might be able to summon the creatures I’ve always dreamed of. Just thinking about it excites me.
"A perfect gift. I’ll cherish it."
"Good. With that phone, you’ll carry the future forward."
As the first Grand Duke said this, he was holding the same black smartphone.
◇ ◇ ◇
『We will soon be arriving at Brunhild, Brunhild~. The exit is on the right-hand side. Those heading to the Kingdom of Belfast...』
Listening to the magical train's announcement, I began taking down the luggage that was on the overhead shelf. It seemed we had arrived.
After passing through the Regulus Empire from my homeland, the Elfrau Kingdom, I finally reached my destination. Even though we traveled by magical train, it still took a day and a half. My body is aching all over now.
Unlike the spacious reserved seats for nobles and wealthy merchants, this was a regular seat, crammed full of people. The narrow seats were honestly uncomfortable. The man sitting next to me smelled like tobacco, and it's just the worst.
My name is Nero Silhueska. I’m a completely normal 12-year-old girl from a small town called Alente in the northeastern snowy country, the Elfrau Kingdom. Well, I’m “a little” smaller than most.
I left my hometown and traveled all the way here to enroll in the "Babylon Machinist Girls' Academy" in the Brunhild Duchy.
The Babylon Machinist Girls' Academy is a five-year public vocational school that recruits students from all over the world.
However, with a strict limit of only five students per country, the entrance is incredibly competitive, and only a very small number of people are able to get in.
By some stroke of luck, I managed to secure one of those five spots. Even now, it’s hard to believe, but the admission letter and student ID in my hand reassure me that this isn’t a dream.
With a large piece of luggage that I took down from the shelf, I heaved it onto my back and stepped off the stopped magical train onto the station platform.
“So this is Brunhild...”
The station was much larger and more dazzling than the magical train station in Elfrau. As expected of the world’s greatest magical city. Magical devices are used everywhere.
“Um, where’s the ticket gate... Oh, over there.”
While carrying the large luggage on my back, I walked briskly and used my smartphone to pass through the ticket gate.
Once I left the station building, I could see the central park at the end of the large street. And further beyond, the path lined with cherry blossoms led to a white castle in the distance. That must be Brunhild Castle.
Suddenly, I heard a transparent-sounding song coming from somewhere, and I looked around, trying to find where it was coming from.
Looking closely, I noticed a large [Ether Vision] screen attached to the upper wall of the station building.
Ether Vision, which projects images from distant places or recorded videos, isn’t so rare anymore.
In the past, these devices were managed and installed by the country, but nowadays, even somewhat wealthy individuals own them. It’s rare to see them in public spaces like this, though.
The Ether Vision displayed a girl with cherry-colored hair, wearing a frilly costume, singing and dancing.
I think she’s a recently debuted idol. My older sister has been talking about her, but I don’t really remember.
...Hmm, that's actually a pretty good song.
I was listening for a while, but then I snapped out of it.
“Oops, I need to focus. The academy...”
I tore my gaze away from the Ether Vision and pulled out my smartphone to display the map to the academy.
This smartphone, used by people all over the world now, was also created here in Brunhild.
It was developed through ancient technology revived by the first Grand Duke, Touya-sama, over 300 years ago. This multi-purpose magical device advanced humanity by thousands of years.
The Ether Vision from earlier was also made using the technology of this smartphone.
Smartphones have now become an essential item for both citizens and adventurers. Such a convenient thing, I could never give it up.
This was one of the two major technologies the first Duke brought to the world. And the other one is...
“That’s...”
I could see two giants facing each other in the west of the castle. They were huge—taller than even the nearby houses.
Their forms, clad in full armor like knights. That’s the other technology the first Duke brought: the giant humanoid general-purpose weapon, "Frame Gear."
Five thousand years ago, the world faced an unprecedented crisis when invaders from another world attacked. To combat them, one genius magic engineer created the "Frame Gear."
However, the Frame Gear was never used on the frontlines because the invaders suddenly disappeared, and peace was restored in an inexplicable manner.
Thus, the Frame Gear, which had never fulfilled its purpose, vanished from history.
But 300 years ago, another invasion from another world occurred. In response, the first Grand Duke of Brunhild revived the ancient Frame Gear, worked with the world’s countries, and protected the world from the invaders.
After that, the technology of the Frame Gear spread widely in the peaceful world. It has since been used for disaster relief during landslides, for hunting large magical beasts called "giant beasts," and for the "Magical Device War Ragnarok" between nations.
The Magical Device War Ragnarok is a large-scale pseudo-war where several nations’ Frame Gears team up to fight against each other.
It’s held once a year, and the winning country gets to take control of the World Federation for the next year.
To participate as a contestant in the Magical Device War Ragnarok, one must graduate from Brunhild’s Machinist Academy and gain the qualification of a "Machinist Trooper."
Of course, that’s my goal too. That’s why I came all the way here.
“Alright! Let’s go!”
I suppressed my excited feelings and began walking toward the Machinist Academy.
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